PROVINCETOWN — An early and persistent fear about the pandemic was that small businesses in town would tumble, and Commercial Street would end up lined with shuttered storefronts. Another worry […]
COVID-19 UPDATE
Statewide Pre-Registration Is Now Available
A more orderly and less traumatic system
People who are currently eligible for a vaccine, or who will be eligible later in phase two, can now put their names and contact information into a statewide pre-registration system […]
ECONOMY
Unemployment Mess Threatens Coverage for Some
Pandemic response expands and complicates eligibility
PROVINCETOWN — Unemployment insurance dates back to the New Deal, but it played a starring role in keeping Americans solvent during the Covid-19 pandemic. According to the Century Foundation, more […]
WINDOW TO A WINDFALL
DOR Releases Numbers on Short-Term Rental Tax Revenue
Bounty can now be channeled toward specific local initiatives
PROVINCETOWN — After more than a year of telling town officials that it could not be done, the Mass. Dept. of Revenue has released data on the new tax on […]
STIMULI
Covid Relief Targets Outer Cape’s Smallest Businesses
Programs fill earlier gaps in CARES Act awards
PROVINCETOWN — When much of the American economy was forced to shut down last March due to Covid, Congress passed trillions of dollars of relief spending in just weeks. There […]
HOUSING
The View From Harbor Hill
Provincetown’s market-rate rental tenants talk about ‘a place that feels like home’
PROVINCETOWN — Harbor Hill was built as a time-share complex, to host people enjoying a week or two of vacation. After sitting vacant for years, then being bought by Provincetown’s […]
ELDER CARE
Privacy Protections Leave Gaps in Covid Death Reports
Data from assisted living facilities are mostly blacked out
PROVINCETOWN — When it comes to Covid, Massachusetts is pro-data. The Dept. of Public Health (DPH) publishes a weekly Covid report, daily Covid updates, and a weekly report on vaccinations. […]
THE ROAD TO NORMAL
Glimmers of Hope for Vaccinations on the Outer Cape
Community health centers could provide alternative to mass sites
PROVINCETOWN — When it comes to allocating Covid resources, Cape Cod has been treated like a distant afterthought. The state hasn’t opened a free Stop the Spread testing site here, […]
PRESERVATION
Committee Votes Down Grant for Schooner Hindu
Motta Field, home repair grants get nod from CPC
PROVINCETOWN — The community preservation committee (CPC) voted down the Schooner Hindu’s application for $100,000 in Community Preservation Act funds at its meeting on Feb. 22. Had it been approved, […]
REPORTER’S NOTEBOOK
These Data Are Ours
Our world is built on streams of data, beaming into headsets and printers and our ever-present phones. Twitter can predict what I will read; TikTok knows how to make me […]
JUST A SHOT AWAY
Cape Cod to Baker: Give Us Vaccine Now
Governor’s focus on mass sites has local officials ‘enraged’
PROVINCETOWN — Gov. Charlie Baker’s decision to prioritize six mass Covid-19 vaccination sites around the state, while sending hardly any vaccine at all to Cape Cod, has people here feeling […]
CHASING THE NUMBERS
State Undercounts Outer Cape Covid Cases
Rapid test results are not included in state reports
PROVINCETOWN — The Covid testing program at Outer Cape Health Services (OCHS), which relies on rapid BinaxNOW tests provided by the state, has been a local success story. The tests […]
CANNABIS CASH
Pot Produces $480K in New Tax Revenue
Receipts indicate nearly $9 million in sales from two stores in 2020
PROVINCETOWN — A long-anticipated source of new tax revenue was confirmed last week when Provincetown reported fourth-quarter payments from Curaleaf and b/well, the two cannabis dispensaries that opened here in […]
WELL-BEING
Provincetown Outlines Extensive Mental Health Plan
Pot impact fees could fund $500K response to community needs
PROVINCETOWN — Health Director Morgan Clark presented a five-year plan to the select board last month that aims to dramatically increase access to mental health and substance abuse treatment. The […]
THE ROAD TO NORMAL
Heartburn and Heartache in Vaccine Rollout
Hopes for quick access were raised, then dashed
PROVINCETOWN — Massachusetts had a plan for rolling out the Covid vaccine. First up would be the entire health-care industry, police and fire depts., and congregate living facilities where large […]
